Tech Giants Unite, OpenAI Courts Hollywood
26 March 2024:Qualcomm, Google, Intel vs. Nvidia; OpenAI's targets filmmakers; Google AI search scam issue, AI in nuclear power strategy, WhatsApp AI.
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Latest in AI,
1 Minute Roundup
With an open-source initiative, Qualcomm, Google, and Intel unite against Nvidia's AI supremacy.
OpenAI's Sora captivates Hollywood, promising a new dawn in filmmaking.
AI-coustics bags €1.9M to revolutionise digital sound clarity.
FundGuard's AI platform attracts $100M, eyeing asset management disruption.
Dema.ai secures €7M to bolster e-commerce decisions with AI.
Eliyan Corp's $60M round fuels innovative chip interconnect solutions.
Fieldwork Robotics wins £600K for its AI-driven raspberry-picking robots.
RealSage's AI prop-tech startup lands $4M for smarter real estate management.
Proxy Foods' $2.3M round aims to reinvent food R&D with AI.
Google's AI Search faces a deluge of spammy scams.
Nuclear power plants emerge as AI data centre havens.
Mitre's new lab will vet AI for the US government, ensuring safety and transparency.
Spruce Pine's quartz mine has become a cornerstone of the semiconductor and AI industry.
Evolve Funds Group launches an AI-focused ETF, blending tech giants with AI upstarts.
WhatsApp will enhance user experience with AI chatbots and advanced image editing tools.
Headlines
Tech Giants Team Up to Challenge Nvidia's AI Dominance
A coalition led by Qualcomm, Google, and Intel, under the UXL Foundation, aims to break $2.2 trillion Nvidia's stronghold on the AI market by developing an open-source software suite that supports diverse AI accelerator chips, leveraging Intel's OneAPI.
Open-Source Solution: UXL focuses on creating an inclusive ecosystem with Intel's OneAPI at the core, enabling AI development across various hardware platforms.
Industry Collaboration: The coalition plans to refine and expand its open-source software suite to include contributions from a broad range of tech companies and deploy it across multiple chipsets
OpenAI's Tinseltown Pitch: Sora Aims to Reel in Hollywood
OpenAI is stepping onto Hollywood's stage, showcasing its new AI video generator, Sora, to film studios and directors. With CEO Sam Altman networking in LA during the Oscars, the company seeks to weave AI more deeply into filmmaking amid the industry's mixed feelings about AI's impact.
Sora's Showcase: Introduced in mid-February, Sora can create realistic videos from text prompts and intriguing Hollywood and tech circles even before its public release.
Industry Implications: While AI tools are already used in film production, the rapid advancement of generative AI raises concerns about creative jobs and the necessity for fair compensation in content training.
AI Deals
AI-coustics raised €1.9M in funding to enhance digital audio quality using AI, aiming to make interactions as clear as a professional studio, co-founded by Fabian Seipel and Corvin Jaedicke in 2021.
FundGuard raised $100M in Series C for its AI-driven investment platform, increasing its valuation by over 50% since its last round. It plans to expand and innovate in the asset management sector.
Dema.ai, an AI decision platform for e-commerce, has raised €7M in a seed round led by J12 Ventures and Daphni to enhance its predictive analytics capabilities for e-commerce businesses.
Eliyan Corp., a chip interconnect startup, has raised $60M in a Series B round co-led by Samsung Catalyst Fund and Tiger Global, following a $40M Series A in 2022. Its NuLink technology offers a cost-effective, high-performance solution for linking chiplets and processors with memory modules.
Fieldwork Robotics secured a £600K government grant to enhance its AI-supported raspberry-picking robots. With advanced vision and decision-making technology, it aims to alleviate labour shortages in farming.
RealSage, an AI-driven proptech startup for multifamily asset management, secures a $4M seed round led by York IE. Focusing on operational efficiency and decision-making in real estate with AI-based financial data analysis.
Proxy Foods secured $2.3M for its AI recipe formulation platform, enhancing food and beverage industry R&D and promising quicker development of tasty, nutritious, and sustainable alternatives.
Others
Google's AI Search Results Overrun by Spammy Scams
Google's new AI-powered "Search Generative Experience" (SGE) promotes spammy and malicious websites that redirect users to scams like fake tech support, unwanted browser extensions, spam subscriptions, and phishing giveaways.
The SEO consultant who discovered the issue found that around 99% of regular Google search results are spam-free. Still, the SGE results recommended scam sites for uncommon long-tail keyword searches, potentially tricking users into falling for the scams.
Nuclear Power Plants: The New Hot Spots for AI Datacenters
As AI workloads surge, data centre operators seek cheap, carbon-free energy from atomic power plants. Amazon is acquiring facilities near a nuclear plant for $650M, and Microsoft is exploring small modular reactors.
The appeal lies in nuclear power's reliability, low carbon footprint, and potential cost savings, which align with data centres' green narratives despite concerns over local impacts.
AI Testing Lab Launched by Mitre for US Government Agencies
Mitre, a government-supported nonprofit, has inaugurated a lab to evaluate AI systems used by federal entities. The lab will focus on identifying security vulnerabilities and ensuring transparency in AI decision-making.
Spruce Pine Quartz Mine: Semiconductor Industry's Linchpin
A 380 million quartz mine in Spruce Pine, North Carolina, is the world's sole supplier of ultra-high-purity quartz, critical for AI chip manufacturing, semiconductors, solar cells, fibre optics, and lighting. Quartz is used to make crucibles for refining silicon wafers.
AI-Powered ETF Focused on AI Sector Launched by Evolve Funds Group
Evolve Funds Group Inc. introduces an AI-managed ETF that targets investments in the AI industry and fills a unique market niche.
The Evolve Artificial Intelligence Fund aims to include major tech firms like Nvidia and Microsoft and emerging AI companies such as UiPath Inc. and CorVel Corp., offering a diversified AI investment portfolio.
WhatsApp to Introduce AI Chatbot and Advanced Image Editing Tools
WhatsApp plans to integrate an AI chatbot within its search bar, allowing users to directly input and receive answers to queries.
New image editing features under development include Backdrop, Restyle, and Expand, allowing users to change backgrounds, alter art styles, and expand images beyond their original dimensions.
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